Inexpensive Baskets Any Woman Would Love

Times are hard and many of us are pinching pennies. This holiday bargain shopping is a must. A great and inexpensive idea for all the women on your list is a gift basket. The beauty of a gift basket is that you can make them as expensive or inexpensive as you want and still have them look full and beautiful. Here are some ideas for gift baskets for women and how to make them while on a budget.

The best way to keep your gift baskets inexpensive is to shop clearance and sales throughout the year. If it's too late and you need a quick gift, don't worry, you can still make an inexpensive basket.

First, make sure you save any empty baskets you have received and don't use. You can also use big plastic or ceramic bowls, small hampers and even wrap a plain cardboard box. There are many items you can use to line and fill out the bottom of your container. Save old wrapping paper and either crumble it or shred it. You can also do the same to newspaper and old tissue paper. Do you throw out those annoying peanuts that come with your fragile orders? Save them and use them for your gift baskets. Many dollar stores sell cellophane wrapping for the completed basket and ribbon too. It is also a good idea to save good ribbon and recycle it. Wow, you just saved money by not having to purchase the basic materials for your basket and now can focus on the actual gift items.

A food or fruit basket is easy to make and fairly inexpensive, especially if you are a coupon clipper. You can get normally expensive food items for half or more of the price just by looking for sales and using your coupons. Make your basket even more bountiful by adding serving ware, linens and other household goods that are easy to find on clearance or the local dollar store.

Many women love crafts and would definitely appreciate a craft basket. Look at your local Barnes and Nobles, Borders or Amazon.com for sale craft books. A lot of dollar stores now also sell good quality craft materials. Finally get your coupons out for your local craft store and get the rest of the merchandise that your recipient may like. Many craft stores have extra sales as the holidays get closer, such as A.C. Moore's midnight madness sale.

Bath baskets are popular, easy to make and light on your wallet. There are always sales on beauty and bath products, and these are easy items to gather through out the year as you see them on sale or clearance. Dollar stores are great for bath sponges, facial towels and other assorted odds and ends.

One of the favorites is the chocolate basket. Godiva usually has a special around the holidays where they offer you a free box of chocolate with purchase. Also, supermarkets and drug stores will run sales on everyday and specialty chocolates for the holiday season. Finally, don't just fill it up with plain chocolate, but also include chocolate covered or filled cookies, syrups, ice cream toppings, coffees and hot chocolates.

Another great basket to make is a wine basket. There are so many different wines available from diverse countries and with amazing flavors. The best part is that many great tasting wines are fairly inexpensive. You can also add cheese and crackers, unique bottle toppers, wine glass charms, wine glasses and even a wine tasting book.

Women are also sports fans, so how about making a basket with merchandise from her favorite sport and/or team. You can find inexpensive merchandise many times at stores like Marshalls and TJ Maxx. Also check out your Sunday flyers for coupons for stores like Sports Authority and Modell's. You can also include a book on the team or even inexpensive tickets or IOU to a future game.

There are many more types of baskets that can be made on a budget that any woman would love to receive. The key is to try to plan ahead and keep your eye out for great sales.